I Dare You to Love Me
by quibbler149
Summary: It was very simple: they played a little game. They became the complete opposite of who they really were. The game would continue for the rest of high school. But then the rules changed and the game stopped being so simple.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I don't own Rachel Berry. I don't own Noah Puckerman. What I do own, however, is my avid imagination. And thank God for that._

**AN: Okay, I know I shouldn't start a new story when I have so many unfinished ones waiting for me, but when inspiration strikes, you've got to go with the flow. So, here's my first Glee fic (I'm not counting my crossover). Try to enjoy!**

_Prologue:_

Afternoons were nice. Rachel decided then and there that her favorite time of day would be afternoons. She didn't like mornings. Mornings meant brisk wind and weak sun and noisy birds. Mornings meant yawns and fatigue and bad breath before any teeth brushing. She didn't like evenings either. Evenings meant end and stops and procrastination. Evenings meant sleep and waiting for tomorrow.

Afternoons meant ice cream on hot days and being safely in the middle and walking home from school. But most of all, afternoons meant Noah Puckerman.

Rachel had been friends with Noah for as long as she could remember. They were barely three years old when their parents congregated at the synagogue. It was strange thinking back to when Noah Puckerman had a gap toothed smile. That was all gone now. He managed to visit the orthodontist along the way.

This particular afternoon was the last afternoon before high school started. It was the last afternoon of the holidays. The two Jewish friends were dozing on the lawn outside Noah's house, eyes closed and enjoying the warmth of the sunshine. Rachel felt content.

"Rachel, are you looking forward to high school?" Noah's voice floated lazily over to where she lay.

"Of course! High school will be so exciting! And then we'll go to parties and get our driver's licenses… I can't wait!"

"I think it'll be boring."

Rachel sat up abruptly, shielding her eyes with her right hand. "What do you mean, Noah? Aren't you looking forward to all the new situations we might encounter in the next stage of our lives?"

"Don't take it so seriously, Rachel." He sat up too. "What I'm saying is that high school will probably be the same as before. Honestly, I just want to get the next few years over and done with so I can leave Lima and get the hell out of here."

"Now Noah," chided Rachel. "If you enter high school with that attitude, you'll never get very far. All right then. What would make high school more interesting?"

The boy pondered this query for a moment or two before cracking a wide grin. "You know how we used to love playing Truth or Dare?"

Rachel nodded, fiddling at the grass and searching for daisies to make a chain.

"Well, I'm going to dare you something. But this dare will last for much longer than just a few moments. This dare will last for the rest of high school."

"If you get to dare me, I get to dare you too."

Noah shrugged. "That's fine by me. Now… hmm… I dare you... Oh! Hey, Rach! You hate singing, don't you?"

Rachel's eyes narrowed. "Noah" she uttered warningly.

"I dare you to sign up for any singing opportunity, act like a total diva bitch and make everyone hate you."

"What?" she gasped. "I don't want to play anymore! You're horrible, Noah Puckerman! No, I refuse! There is no way in hell that…"

"I'm not finished yet. I dare you to wear schoolgirl skirts and sweaters and platform shoes. I dare you to burn all your jeans. I dare you to talk in long words and I dare you to resist the temptation of swearing." With that, he sat back on his haunches and smiled smugly and confidently.

Rachel shot him an angry glare. "You're mean, Noah. I don't like you."

"Too bad, you already promised to play."

She eyed him for a while. "Well, then I dare you to act like a stupid idiot who believes you're… um… what's that word? Oh, badass! And… um… a stud!"

"What does that even mean?" interrupted Noah.

"I don't know" replied Rachel honestly. "I heard Mary-Beth telling Francis about her boyfriend once and she called him a stud. Anyway, you have to believe that! And since you're making me do the thing I hate most, I'm going to stop you from doing the thing you like most. You're not allowed to sing."

Noah let out a cry of protest.

"No, Noah. These are the rules. And I dare you to join the football team."

"But I hate football!" yelled Noah. Rachel smiled infuriatingly.

"I know."

They glared at each other for a while before conceding defeat. "What happens if we can't keep up with dare?" asked Rachel. Noah thought over it carefully. "Well, if you break one of the dares, then you have to be punished. The punishment will be thought over by the other party. That means if I break a dare, you get to assign me a punishment and vice versa. Does that work for you, Mistress Berry?"

Rachel grumbled her approval.

"All right." Noah rubbed his hands together. "_Now_ I'm excited for high school."

-

**AN: Here's the prologue. It's very short, but I don't think prologues have to be chapter length. I kind of borrowed (fine, I stole) this idea from another fic. Hopefully nobody will kill me, sue me, set fire to my house etc. etc. I'm just writing this for fun… and for the reviews.**


	2. Of Beginnings and Initial Stages

_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I don't own Rachel Berry. I don't own Noah Puckerman. What I do own, however, is my avid imagination. And thank God for that._

**AN: Here's the first chapter. And if you're wondering where I borrowed (cough, stole, cough) this idea from, it's a High School Musical fic called **_**Behind Closed Doors **_**by**___**pottergrl15**_**. She has amazing ideas for stories and I urge you to read her fics. Anyway, on with the story!**

_Chapter One:_

_Of Beginnings and Initial Stages_

Neither Noah nor Rachel were great students. That wasn't to say they were bad students, but they hovered comfortably at the average point. It was a few hours before high school started that the two of them were eating breakfast and arguing about the new 'them'.

"Rachel, you honestly can't wear that!"

"Why not? You're dressed normally!"

"But you didn't dare me anything to do with my attire."

"First of all, say clothing not _attire_. Second of all, do you realize how expensive a pair of jeans is? I cannot burn them! I cannot! It's such a waste!"

Noah leaned back, smiling deviously. "Well, Mistress Berry. I believe that's breaking a dare which warrants a… punishment."

The unfortunate girl contemplated her options before sticking her chin up high defiantly. "Go on, then. I'll face the music."

Noah laughed. "You look like you're about to face death row. Don't look so tragic. Well, don't worry, the punishment shall not be dealt as of yet. I'd look out later in high school if I were you, though."

Rachel snorted, spooning some more cornflakes into her mouth. "I doubt your average brain could come up with anything better."

"Speaking of that, what say we add another dare to the long growing list?"

She raised her eyebrows. "What are you thinking of now, Noah? I'm not agreeing to anything before I hear about it. I learnt my lesson last time."

"Well, Rach, we're both pretty average students, n'est-ce _pas_?"

"Don't speak French."

"Okay. But we are. And I think, to liven things up, we hop off the point of averageness and go for the extreme."

"What does that mean?"

"That means that one of us will become an extremely poor student and the other an outstanding star."

"But who will be-"

"I call being a poor student!"

Rachel glared at him. "That's not fair. Being an outstanding star requires a lot of effort and hard work!"

"Hey! You wanted me to be badass and… um… what was that word again?"

"Stud"

"Oh, yes. A stud. Have you ever heard of a bookworm being badass, huh?"

"Well…"

"And besides, my dare was for you to give up swearing and speak in long words. That sounds pretty studious to me already. Just think of all the praise and glowing reports you have yet to receive, Mistress Berry!"

Rachel considered this for a while before sighing heavily and dipping her head. "I concede defeat, Noah Puckerman."

He grinned and slurped his cornflake slush noisily. Then, he wiped his chin and pointed at Rachel. "Now, Rach, about your attire…"

"What's wrong with it, for fuck's sake?"

"Tut tut. Do you remember the no swearing rule? I do believe that warrants _another_ punishment."

Looking (and feeling) extremely stricken, Rachel leaned back in her chair, arms folded across her chest, pout already forming onto her lips. Noah quickly recognized the danger signs and swerved to avoid a particularly nasty accident.

"Now, Rach. Don't be like that. Tell you what, how about I combine the two punishments and just give you a big one?"

Rachel wrinkled her nose and Noah had known her for long enough to know that that meant the affirmative. He smiled, victorious.

"Now hurry up and get changed, Rach. That's unless you want another punishment?"

The sound of her pushing back the wooden chair and scampering upstairs was enough of an answer.

(o) - O - (o)

"Bye Daddy!"

"Bye Mr. Berry Number One!"

The two slung their backpacks onto their backs and strode towards the school.

"McKinley High" read Noah aloud. Beside him, Rachel whimpered. He turned towards her. "What's wrong, Rachel? Are you that nervous for high school?"

"It's not that."

"Well, what is it then?"

"Noah, this skirt is _really_ short."

He laughed loudly, drawing stray stares from passing students. "Rachel, a dare's a dare and I dared you to wear schoolgirl skirts, sweaters, platf-"

"Platform shoes. I know, Noah. I'm not stupid."

"So stop your complaining!"

Rachel sniffed and arched her head away, firmly holding down the sides of her skirt. "I don't like skirts."

"Oh, for God's sake!"

(o) - O - (o)

Noah had English first period. He rather enjoyed the subject and was eagerly approaching the designated classroom. The only downside was that Rachel had Physical Education (she begged him to call it P.E like "a normal person") and couldn't be here with him. No matter! Noah shrugged his shoulders and stepped inside the classroom.

It seemed as if it were too early for 'cool' students to show up yet, so Noah circled the classroom like a hawk, observing for the best seat. After a lengthy selection, he chose a desk squarely situated in the middle of the room, lightly lowered his bag to the ground, and began arranging his supplies.

Just as the bell rang, a sudden avalanche of students rushed inside the classroom and scrambled for any seat near the back and close to their friends.

Noah waited patiently for the kerfuffle (Rachel kept telling him to stop using that old-fashioned word like "a normal person") to die down and for the teacher to appear.

"Hey, man. How's high school hanging for you so far?"

It took Noah a while before he realized the statement was actually directed at him. He jerked his head to the left, facing the boy who seemed friendly enough.

"It's only first period yet, so I haven't really had time to tell."

"I guess so. I'm Finn."

"Hey, Finn. My name's Noah."

The boy made a face. "Noah? Isn't that, like, that old guy from the bible who made that wooden boat thing or something?"

Noah's face hardened a little. He was rather proud of his name. "Actually," he said through gritted teeth. "It was an _ark_ which took an extensive amount of time to build and lent a helpful hand in saving the world. This 'old guy' as you so eloquently phrase it, was an extremely kind man who dedicated his life to good and spent it well and in service to the Lord."

Finn blinked and chuckled nervously. "Okay… I'm sorry if I offended you…"

Quickly remembering that he was supposed to be badass, Noah reined in his anger and plastered a grin on his face. Finn seemed too dull to tell the difference between a real smile and a fake one, anyway.

"Nah, it's no problem. I just… uh… said that to freak you out."

Finn laughed and Noah felt like punching him.

(o) - O - (o)

P.E was fun. Well, Rachel enjoyed P.E. By the disdainful pulls the other girls were giving to their uniforms, they obviously didn't think so.

Nothing interesting happened and Rachel managed to escape the first ever period of high school successfully. She passed through the busy corridors, unseen and unheard. Then, she spotted the notice board. She carefully approached it and scanned it with her eyes, index finger trailing down the papers.

_Photography club_

_We Heart Botany_

_Film and Videos Club_

_Musical Auditions_

_An-_

Reluctantly, Rachel recalled Noah's dare about joining every singing opportunity. She slid her finger back up to rest beside _Musical Auditions_. Tapping the page for a few moments, she considered what her punishment might be should she not sign up. Well, maybe she could just tell Noah that she hadn't had time to look at the notice board! Satisfied with her solution, she turned to walk away when an arm shot out and grasped her by the shoulder.

She nearly screamed from fright.

Luckily, she composed herself and swallowed her panic. It was Noah and he was shaking his head at her solemnly, his lips pursed in contemplation. Wordlessly he jabbed a finger towards the sign up sheet. Rachel groaned. Noah just smiled and offered her a pen.

She took it and scrawled a messy _Rachel Berry_ onto the paper. Her name was the first.

Just as she was about to walk away, Noah pulled her back again.

"What is it now, Noah? I've already signed up, haven't I? Please leave me alone!"

"Well, my dear Mistress Berry. It seems that you were considering violating our agreement. You were about to walk away without signing the sheet although my dare expressly states you to join every singing opportunity. I think that means punishment! Oh dear, and it's your third punishment already! What is it, not even half a day, yet?"

"What is it, then?" Rachel grumbled.

He merely raised his eyebrows and reached into his backpack to pull out a small packet. She took it gingerly and glanced at it in surprise. "First of all, I don't even want to know why you have that in your backpack. And second of all, stars? What the he-"

"No swearing."

"What on earth are you giving me stars for?"

"This is your punishment. From now on, you must stick a star sticker beside your name."

"Okay, why would I, or anyone for that matter, want to do that?"

"Because you're a diva bitch."

"Noah, I don't think even diva bitches do that."

"I will excuse your swearing this time because you were quoting me. And to answer your question, this diva bitch does because it's to remind you to be a star!"

Rachel's eye twitched dangerously and she gave Noah one last glare before ripping the packet open with a vengeance, pulling off a sticker and stamping it angrily onto the paper beside her name. "Satisfied?"

Noah nodded. "Very."

"Now come on" sighed Rachel. "I think we both have Spanish next period. We'll be late for class."

**AN: Well, there's chapter one. It's still not as long as I like, but I have a real problem with chapter lengths. Sorry. Anyway, what do you think Rachel's huge punishment will be? Basically, I'm trying to explain all the horrible things they do to each other. Is it good? Bad? Am I just wasting my time? Let me know.**


	3. Of Punishments and New Friendships

_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I don't own Rachel Berry. I don't own Noah Puckerman. What I do own, however, is my avid imagination. And thank God for that._

**AN: I'm baack! Who missed me? Man, I'm on such a posting marathon! Granted, I have been MIA for quite some time. But I'll only update when I feel like it and ya'll should respect that.**

_Chapter Two:_

_Of Punishments and New Friendships_

Noah hadn't met up with her on the way to school. Normally, that wouldn't bother her one bit, but she knew he probably had something up his sleeve for her "big" punishment. Honestly, she had no idea what was going to happen, but knowing Noah and his shrewdness, she could be pretty sure it wasn't going to be anything good.

At her shiny new locker, she carefully placed her books for the day inside its designated compartments and pulled out the ones she needed.

"Rachel! Hey, Rach!"

It was Noah's voice. She sniffed. "What is it?"

"Are you mad that I wasn't there this morning?

She sniffed louder, very theatrically. "Of course not" Her injured tone said quite the opposite. He smiled, knowing she was just teasing him.

"Well, now. I had things to do. Hey, tell me, do you like what you're wearing?"

Still not turning around, searching for that damn maths textbook, she snorted. "I hate it. I mean, honestly, _argyle_? Who wears that? And I still say that these skirts are too short. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in love with me and got me into these skirts just to perv on my legs."

"You wish… Hey, Rach, turn around."

"Why?"

"Just for a bit."

She turned around. Only to receive a mouthful of grape slushy. Well, really, it wasn't just a mouthful. It was an earful, an eyeful, a noseful. A whole faceful, really.

"NOAH PUCKERMAN!"

She blinked away the crystals melting down her skin, sinking into her hideous sweater and trickling towards the horrendously short skirt she was forced to don. "Happy punishment, Rachel!" He grinned at her widely.

"YOU ARE SO DEAD!" With a scream, she scrambled towards him, arms outstretched. He laughed and danced easily out of harm's way. By now, a small crowd had gathered around them. Some particularly nasty girls even snapped pictures.

Sensing some discomfort in Rachel now, Noah quickly looped for her hand and pulled her away.

"Noah! This is the girl's bathroom! You can't be in here!"

He ignored her and glowered at a nearby girl, the only one in the bathroom. She made a prompt exit.

"Now I can be" he smiled smugly.

She huffed, but smiled too. "You do realize I'll have to walk around all day in sticky purple slushie? I mean, this is too harsh a punishment, isn't it?"

"Chill, Rach! I've got you covered." He reached beneath the sinks and produced a plastic bag. There were several items of clothes inside. Rachel smiled again. "Aw… so sweet of you…"

"I do my best."

But no sooner had Rachel pulled out the clothes had she kicked Noah. "What's with these clothes? They are so strange!"

Noah drew them out. "What? They look fine to me."

"Noah, these are _Hannah's_"

"What? But I found them in your closet!"

"Yeah! She left them there when she stayed over last time."

The realization dawned and Noah hesitantly smiled. "Gee, I'm really sorry Rach."

"First of all, don't say 'Gee' like a normal person. Secondly, why, WHY of all the clothes in my wardrobe did you have to pick out the ones for your kid sister?"

"I could run home and get you some clothes, if you like." Noah was looking genuinely sorry and uncomfortable. He hadn't wanted things to go this far.

"It's okay. You'll miss class if you go now. And besides, I don't want you going back in a rush and dying in a car accident." She eyed the clothes again. "Well, let's hope I can fit inside these."

(o) - O - (o)

"All right! Everyone who's signing up for football this year, please remember to do so after class. Failure to respond quickly will result badly! Tryouts are held after school tomorrow."

Noah squeezed his eyes shut painfully. Beside him Finn cheered and nudged him. "Hey, dude! You signing up, right?"

"Umm… sure… dude."

Finn bounded off in the direction of the papers while Noah quickly scooped up his jacket and beelined for the showers. There was no way he was signing up for football. He had a life to live. He didn't want to waste it on some bogus sport like that.

(o) - O - (o)

"Dude, you Noah Puckerman?"

Noah eyed the group of jocks warily. "Er… yes?"

They all began grinning and slapping each other's backs. "Man, what you did was _awesome_! We never thought of slushies! You're the man!" Then, they ambled off, still grunting their praises.

Not quite sure what had happened, Noah realized with a little horror that he might have started something really bad.

(o) - O - (o)

"Rachel? Rach, you home yet?"

Noah had opened the door. Long ago, he had been bestowed with a key to the Berry's residence. He was like a member of the family, they had told him. He could come anytime.

"Rachel?" He knocked on the door of her bedroom, waiting for a while before it opened. She peered at him, now back in her regular clothes.

"I've decided I don't need to dress so inappropriately out of school" she informed him. He considered this and decided he was pushing his luck anyway. "Okay."

"Anyway, Noah. I have some queries for you."

"Queries? Oh, that's nice. You're using sophisticated language! I'm so proud of you."

"Shut up. I think you have a punishment due."

"What? What punishment?"

She spun around in circles on her wheely chair.

"Well, I just happened to walk past the sign up board, you know, the one where you me stick that stupid star, and I noticed something strange."

Noah wondered if he was fast enough to make a break for it and not get caught.

"There was a sign up sheet for football. But your name wasn't on it."

No, he decided. Rachel was crazy fast and could catch him, probably. His odds weren't good.

"I remember I specifically stated you must sign up to football as per our agreement for the dare."

"But I hate football!"

"And I don't fancy singing that much either, but we've got to suck it up anyway."

He looked at her, a little frightened at the diabolical smile playing at her lips.

"What are you planning to do to me?"

"Well, I had to walk around the school in clothes five sizes too small for me today, with purple slushie embedded in my hair just to top it off. I think I shall extract some revenge now."

"Rachel…" he said, edging ever-so-slightly towards the door.

"Don't worry, Noah, it won't hurt at all. I'll just need a razor."

**AN: Chapter! I'm all with the short chapters lately because it's too tiring to write long ones. But, hey, if I can be succinct, that's good, right? Besides, an update is better than no update at all.**


	4. Of Mohawks and Football

_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I don't own Rachel Berry. I don't own Noah Puckerman. What I do own, however, is my avid imagination. And thank God for that._

**AN: God, I was so behind on **_**Glee**_**, but I finally caught up and watched the season finale yesterday. Being the huge Puckleberry shipper, I was immensely disappointed to see Finn with Rachel (although I guess that was inevitable. They were the 'it' pairing). My hope for Puck and Rachel to end up together are fading fast, but I refuse to give up. They are the only reason I watch Glee, and I will wade through Season Two if it means future Puckleberry scenes. Anyway, enough with the rambling, let's rock!**

_Chapter Three:_

_Of Mohawks and Football_

For Noah, he could never figure out what girls were thinking (well, except for Rachel: but she wasn't _really_ a girl-girl. She was a friend-girl). They spent all their time slathering foundation on their pimply, pocky-marked faces, and preening their pouts before the cracked bathroom mirrors, and fixing strands of hair with an extensive amount of product, and gossiping about other supposed friends, and spending a horrific number of money on clothes.

As a guy himself, he always proudly thought himself (and Rachel) superior because they had better things to with their time. He never had to wear any make-up (although his mom had forced him to rub SPF 30 all over his neck in fear of sunburn) or dip a pinky into lip-gloss tubs or comb through his hair three hundred times a day. He just jumped out of bed, showered, got dressed, and went. No worries. No hassle. No need to fuss about how his hair looked or skin felt or how fat he seemed that day.

But it was with sadness and a growing feeling of depression welling inside his chest that he ambled down the corridor of William McKinley High School. Rachel was nowhere to be seen, citing that she was not walking with him when he looked like _that_. For _that_ was the only word to describe _it_.

Granted, his own punishment on Rachel was rather cruel, and he was already regretting it. He had seen some jocks (probably the same ones who had approached him yesterday) flinging slushies in some new kids' faces. It didn't feel good knowing it was he that started it all. As his punishment on Rachel had been harsh, he hadn't been able to utter a word of complaint during her punishment for him. It was painful to sit through without a squeak, but he managed to hold back his indignation until the awful deed was done.

He hadn't believed he would ever care what his hair would look like, but he certainly did now. And with the population of McKinley High staring at him like that, he knew he wanted nothing more than to crawl into a fetal position and cover his head in despair and shame. Didn't Rachel know just how slowly his hair grew? Didn't she have any sympathy?

But it was too late now. If only he had joined the football team sooner, Noah Puckerman would not be inching towards his class with a face like granite and a mohawk atop his head.

(o) - O - (o)

"Duude! What did you do?"

In many times since entering high school, Noah had wanted nothing more than to beat Finn Hudson's face in. And he had never wanted to do so more than now.

"Nothing," he mumbled, slinging his bag onto the floor and covering his head with his arms as he hugged the desk. Finn didn't seem to get how touchy he was feeling, and sauntered on.

"Well, I've never seen anybody wear a Mohawk before. It was a supposed 'bad fashion taste', according to my mom's magazine. Along with mullets, of course, and- "

But Finn never got to finish his sentence because right then, Noah had had enough. He jumped up, yanked on Finn's shirt collar and started pounding on his stomach. This occurred in a matter of milliseconds. The whole class erupted into a frenzy, like a zoo that had been unlocked.

And it was like this when the teacher walked in.

(o) - O - (o)

He had never been in trouble before. Granted, neither he nor Rachel were model students, but they had never been the bad eggs. So it was really the first time that Noah had been sent to the principal's office. At first, he felt nothing but anger and resentment. But now that those feelings had faded somewhat, he was starting to get a little scared.

But if you asked him, he'd still deny it.

"I am very disappointed in you, Mr. Puckerman. The new school year has barely begun!" The principal had a very cool accent. He also had very bushy eyebrows that danced all around is forehead in indignation as he spoke. Noah slumped in his seat, heart hammering, and said nothing.

As the principal's rant drew to a close, he muttered an apology and a promise to never do that again and crept out of there.

Rachel was waiting outside. "Noah! Noah! I can't believe you punched that guy!"

He looked at her, she seemed genuinely worried and a bit mad. "Yeah, the dude was totally getting ridiculously stupid."

"That's no reason to hit someone!"

"Can you keep your voice down? He was asking for it? Who makes assy statements about someone's haircut like that? It was hell insensitive."

She placed her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Noah, maybe the haircut was going too far."

And immediately, guilt swelled inside him and he smiled. "It's fine. After what I did to you, it's fair."

"Good," she grinned, "Because I still expect you to join the football team."

Damn. He'd been hoping she had forgotten.

(o) - O - (o)

Word had gotten around about his fight with Finn Hudson. And maybe it was partially this reason why he made the team. Truthfully, he'd been hoping that his tryout would be unsuccessful, but the older jocks voted highly in his favor, almost immediately inducting him into the team. When he called Rachel to spill the news in a doleful tone, she just laughed and wished him a happy year. He hung up on her in anger but dialed back again anyway.

When practice started, the coach told them some good news. "Huddle up, team. We're getting cheerleaders."

When the cheers had died down somewhat, the coach went on to explain that Sue Sylvester, miracle-maker and multiple winner of cheerleading nationals had been hired by the school to form a new cheerleading team. This went down a treat until it was revealed that the football budget had been cut by more than half to allow for this.

"What? Why, Coach!"

"Well, it's not just us, boys. Other clubs have even bigger budget cuts. These new cheerleaders ain't coming cheap."

Honestly, Noah did not care at all. He just waited patiently for practice to dwindle over so he could get home and start on the essay he needed to finish for English next week.'

But when practice had finished, one of the seniors beckoned towards him. "Hey, you! New kid! What's your name?"

"Noah Puckerman," he answered.

"Noah? Who has some old-guy name like _Noah_?"

Were all the guys at this school such total jerks? But he kept his opinion (wisely) to himself because he had no wish to be sent to the hospital.

"Anyway, new kid, we're expecting big things from you from what we've heard. And you've gotta lose the name. It's way too long to shout across a football field."

Noah decided to bite back his retort that people who thought two syllables was long obviously had a great deficiency in brain cells or a very young mental maturity.

"What was your last name again?"

"Puckerman."

"Shit, that's even longer. Guys, help me out here."

And that's how he became Puck.

(o) - O - (o)

"What do they call you?" shrieked Rachel. Noah hung his head in shame. "Puck."

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you."

"Puck."

She dissolved into giggles once more and he glared at her. "It's not funny! A chain of events mainly sparked by you caused this, you know!"

She couldn't speak for laughing.

"Oh God, Puck. You do know that he's a fairy from one of Shakespeare's plays, right?"

He smiled. "The only alleviation to my pain is the fact that you've been reading Shakespeare."

Her laughter subsided. "Just doing what you told me to, bud."

"How's the musical auditions coming along."

She scowled. "They're tomorrow. I'm dreading them. You know how much stage fright I have, Noah. I can't believe you'd do this to me."

"Yeah, like you didn't give me a Mohawk and make me do football."

"Like _you_ didn't throw a slushie in my face!"

They stared at each other. This was one of the rarer moments that they got really mad at each other. But then the moment passed and they both looked away. "I'm sorry, Rachel."

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea. I don't want to spend the whole year fighting and being miserable."

But Noah shook his head. "No, no. It's good to challenge ourselves and try things we wouldn't have before. We made a pact and we should stick to it."

"Wow, Noah Puckerman, you have more perseverance than they give you credit for."

"Who's 'they'?"

"Just people."

"Well, 'people' are wrong."

"I'm sure they are," she smiled.

(o) - O - (o)

**AN: I've been working on this chapter for a while and kind of…forgot about it (sorry). For my readers, Christchurch city in New Zealand was devastated by a terrible earthquake that killed at least 113 people. Hundreds are still missing, 50% of households don't have electricity and 80% don't have running water. My challenge this week is to spread the word and raise awareness. We can all do our bit to help. Thanks.**


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